Message transmission device, and a message transmission system and a message transmission status advising system using the message transmission device

• US 5,285,203 A
• Filed: 06/05/1991
• Issued: 02/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakano, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gray, Robert
• Application Number:
  US07/710,333
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 340/827, 340/825.01, 340/825.16, 340/826, 340/825.54, 371/8.2, 371/9.1, 371/11.1, 371/11.3, 364/131, 364/187
• US Class Current: 370/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

An electronic message transmission system including at least one transmission apparatus of the electronic message and a plurality of message receivers of the same wherein the electronic message is transmitted according to a predetermined transmission path connecting message receivers. A transmission state of the electronic message is memorized and up-dated in a memory and thereby, an addresser of the electronic message is able to know the state of the message transmission by referring to the contents of the memory. In another message transmission system, deputy confirmors are registered together with confirmors in respective message receivers and each deputy confirmor processes the transmitted message in place of the relevant confirmor if the confirmor is absent.

Claims

1. A message transmission system comprising:

electronic message means for inputting electronic messages;

a plurality of electronic message processing devices each allocated to one message operator, each of said electronic message processing devices having an acceptability indicator showing whether an electronic message, when transmitted thereto, can be processed by each said message operator by yes or no, and each of said electronic message processing devices additionally having a deputy operator specifier designating a deputy operator by whom said electronic message is to be processed instead of said message operator; and

a transmission controller having functions to check said acceptability indicator within said electronic message processing devices each allocated to each said message operator, then to transmit said electronic message to one of said electronic message processing devices allocated to said message operator when said acceptability indicator is yes or when said acceptability indicator is no and a deputy confirmor fails to be designated by said deputy operator specifier and to transmit said electron message to one of said electron message processing devices allocated to said deputy operator designated by said deputy operator specifier when said acceptability indicator is no and a deputy operator is designated by said deputy operator specifier.

2. A message transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation yes/no information within an electronic message confirming device being made correspond to the deputy confirmor designated by a deputy confirmor information is checked and said electronic message is transmitted to said electronic message confirming device only when yes.

3. A message transmission system according to claim 1, wherein said transfer-transmission controller to repeats said message transmission until it reaches a deputy confirmor whose said confirmation information is yes or a deputy confirmor who is not designated as a deputy confirmor by said deputy confirmor information.

4. A message transmission system according to claim 3, wherein said transfer-transmission controller transmit an electronic message to an electronic message confirming device allotted to an original message confirmor when a confirmation yes/no information of a deputy confirmor who is not designated by a reached deputy confirmor information is no.

5. A message transmission system comprising:

a plurality of electronic message processing devices each allocated to one message operator, each of said electronic message processing devices having an acceptability indicator showing whether an electronic message, when transmitted thereto, can be processed by each said message operator by yes or no and each of said electronic message processing devices additionally having a deputy operator specifier designating a deputy operator by whom said electronic message is to be processed instead of said message operator and each of said electronic message processing devices is provided with acceptability input means for inputting said acceptability indicator thereto; and

a recall-transmission controller to recall such electronic message to one electronic message processing device allocated to said message operator if there exists any electronic messages transferred to, which have failed to have been processed yet by said deputy operator designated by said deputy operator specifier when said acceptability indicator is changed from no to yes by said acceptability input means.

6. A message transmission system according to claim 5, wherein said recall-transmission controller checks said acceptability indicator within the one electronic message processing device allocated to said deputy operator designated by said deputy operator specifier when said acceptability indicator is changed from no to yes by said acceptability input means, and recalls unprocessed said electronic message transferred to the one electronic message processing device allocated to said deputy operator when said acceptability indicator within the one electronic message processing device allocated to said deputy operator is yes or when unprocessed said electronic message transferred is no and a second deputy operator fails to be designated by said deputy operator specifier within the one electronic message processing device allocated to said deputy operator, and recalls unprocessed said electronic message from the one electronic message processing device allocated to a third deputy operator designated by said deputy operator specifier within the one electronic message processing device allocated to said deputy operator to the one electronic message operator allocated to said message operator when said accepatability indicator within the one electronic message processing device allocated to said deputy operator is no and a fourth deputy operator is designated by said deputy operator specifier within the one electronic message processing device allocated to said deputy operator.

7. A message transmission system according to claim 5, wherein said recall-transmission controller repeats said recall operation until it reaches a deputy confirmor whose confirmation information is yes or who is not designated as a deputy confirmor by said deputy confirmor information.

8. A message transmission system comprising:

electronic message input means for inputting an electronic message having as a supplemental information, an original message operator specifier showing a message operator to whom said electronic message should be originally transmitted;

a plurality of electronic message processing devices each allocated to one message operator, each of said electronic message processing devices having an acceptability indicator showing whether said electronic message, when transmitted thereto, can be processed by each said message operator by yes or no and having a deputy operator specified designating a deputy operator of said electronic message to process said electronic message instead of said electronic message operator; and

a transmission controller having functions to transmit said electronic message to one of said electron message confirming devices allocated to said message operator when a deputy operator fails to be designated by said deputy operator specifier and to transmit said electronic message to one of said electronic message confirming devices allocated to said deputy operator designated by said deputy operator specifier when said acceptability indicator is no and a deputy operator is designated by said deputy operator specifier;

wherein said electronic message processing device provides a deputy processing noticing device for informing that said electronic message has been processed by said deputy operator to said original message operator designated in said electronic message when said electronic message has been processed by said deputy operator.

9. A message transmission system according to claim 8, wherein said transfer-transmission controller checks said confirmation yes/no information of the electronic message confirming device allocated to the deputy confirmor designated by said deputy confirmor information, and transmits said electronic message to said electronic message confirming device allocated to said deputy confirmor, if said confirmation yet/no information is yes or if it is no and a deputy confirmor is not designated by said deputy confirmor information, to transmit said electronic message to an electronic message confirming device allocated to the deputy confirmor designated by said deputy confirmor information, if no and if a deputy confirmor is designated by said deputy confirmor information, said transfer-transmission controller repeating until it reaches a deputy confirmor whose confirmation information is yet or who is not designated as a deputy confirmor by said deputy confirmor information.